1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cargo carrier that attaches to the hitch on the rear of a vehicle wherein the carrier collapses to a relatively compact form when not in use.
2. Background of the Prior Art
No matter how big the SUV or pickup truck and how well it is packed, it seems that there is never enough room for all the people and gear to be transported. Whether a person is going tailgating, hunting or to the beach, there is always more cargo for the vehicle than there is available cargo space on the vehicle. To address this situation, some people simply load up the excess gear on top of the vehicle and tie the cargo down. This storage method works reasonably well if the vehicle is equipped with a roof rack designed for such loads, not as well if the vehicle is not so equipped. However, the cargo on the roof creates substantial additional drag while driving, decreasing both the handling capabilities of the vehicle as well as the gas mileage obtained by the vehicle. Additionally, loading and unloading the cargo can be challenging and time-consuming, especially if the vehicle has a relatively high roof line.
Others have proposed cargo carriers that are connected to the square hitch located at the rear of the vehicle. Such devices, which come in varying architectures from the relatively simple to the elaborate and complex, typically use a frame onto which cargo is loaded, with the frame having a hitch attachment arm thereon that fastenably couples to the square hitch of the vehicle. The cargo rides behind the tailgate of the vehicle out of the main wind stream so as not to have an unduly adverse effect on vehicle performance, either in handling or gas mileage. As the cargo carrier and its loaded cargo are located by the tailgate, access to the cargo so loaded is not problematic even for relatively short people. While rear hitch attached cargo carriers offer a practical solution for excess cargo to be transported by a truck or SUV, or even a car equipped with a hitch at its rear, such systems are not without shortcomings.
While cargo carriers hold a substantial amount of cargo for their size, the carriers tend to be large and somewhat difficult to maneuver when not in use. They are also awkward to transport when not in use carrying cargo. For example, a cargo carrier is used to go to a tailgate party in order to transport the food and beer to the game. At the tailgate party the food and beer are consumed so that the cargo carrier is not needed for the return trip. The size of the carrier often makes placing the carrier into the vehicle for the return trip difficult as the remainder of the passengers and cargo are still present inside. As such, the carrier remains attached to the hitch of the vehicle for the return trip. While not problematic for the driver of the vehicle, many such carriers, when empty have a low profile making the device difficult to see by other drivers. Placement of an orange flag onto the carrier helps somewhat, but since the carrier is so low on the vehicle, even the flag is not always noticed by other drivers. This can result into another vehicle driving into the carrier especially if the carrier holding vehicle spends a lot of time in city traffic. Additionally, such carriers take up a lot of storage room when not in use, which storage room may not be in great supply.
What is needed is a cargo carrier that is removably attachable to a typical hitch of a vehicle wherein such carrier can carry a load of cargo external of the vehicle without causing undue aerodynamic drag onto the vehicle. Such a carrier must be of sufficient size so as to be able to carry a substantial load with ease yet be relatively small when not in use so as to be easily transported and stored. Ideally, such a carrier is relatively simple in design and construction so as to be readily affordable to a wide segment of potential consumers for this type of product.